A bishop appointed by Pope Leo descended on a California court today in an attempt to persuade ICE against deporting migrants.
Newly-appointed Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of San Diego, Michael Pham made an appeal on June 11, asking fellow men of the cloth to join migrants at hearings at the federal courthouse on June 20, International Refugee Day.
Today, he was among 16 who went to the Southern California Federal Courthouse to support the migrants pleading their cases.
In his appeal, Pham said the migrants were in a ‘difficult predicament’ of being hauled before judges.
‘We know that migrants and refugees find themselves in the difficult predicament of being called to appear, which is what the government asks of them, and then being given orders for expedited removal from our country.
‘It has been experienced that the presence of faith leaders makes a difference in how the migrants are treated.
‘Unfortunately, it will most likely not change the outcome,’ he said.
Bishop Michael Pham (right) of the Diocese of San Diego poses for a photo with then Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost before he became Pope Leo. The pontiff elevated Pham to the position of bishop in June
In his appeal, Pham said the migrants were in a ‘difficult predicament’ of being hauled before judges
A spokesman for the Diocese of San Diego told Daily Mail the religious delegation who sat in court on Friday were not there to confront anyone and had informed judges of their presence ahead of time.
It’s unclear what impact they had.
Dramatic and emotional scenes have played out in courts across the country where migrants who went from legal to illegal in seconds are taken away.
In situations where a parent will be deported, their American kids can either be removed from the US along with them or stay behind with family in the US.
The migrants most at risk for being caught up in this legal catch-22 are those who have arrived in country in the last two years.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has jurisdiction of new cases for two years.
When those migrants are arriving in court, Trump federal prosecutors will inform the judge that they want to dismiss the case.
However, that doesn’t mean the legal claim can forward.
Instead, it means the case is out of the hands of the court and ICE now has jurisdiction to make an arrest.
Priests and churches across the country have spoken out against Trump’s deportation policies.
In Los Angeles, priests stood shoulder to shoulder with anti-ICE protestors as riots exploded earlier this month.
A priest holds flowers as police confront with anti-ICE protesters near Federal Building and Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, California on June 10, 2025 amid protests over immigration raids
When Trump first won re-election, the United Methodist Church issued a blistering rebuke of the president-elect two days after his victory.
‘The lessons of teach us the dangers of silence in the face of threats to human rights,’ the Council of Bishops wrote on Nov. 7.
‘We therefore reject rhetoric, policies, and actions that demean or discriminate against any of God’s children and will be vigilant in defending the rights of the vulnerable and speaking out against oppression.’
Before becoming the leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo had been incredibly critical of MAGA immigration policies.
Earlier this year, the new pope called out Vice President JD Vance, calling him outright ‘wrong’ as viral social media spat about his faith went viral.